Return of Sports Boosts ESPN Podcasts in August
| RADIO ONLINE | Friday, September 18, 2020 |
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 ESPN Audio |
With the return of all major professional sports in August, ESPN Podcast listenership heated up, as it posted its best month ever and grew 29% over August, 2019. In addition, the combined podcast network of ESPN, ABC, FiveThirtyEight and National Geographic posted an increase of 44% year-over-year. In particular and reflective of increased attention to the coming presidential election, FiveThirtyEight enjoyed one of its best months ever and grew 178% from a year ago.
"It is clear that when current events are on the mind of listeners - be it sports or politics - fans turn to our network of podcasts for the best in analysis, storytelling and discussion," said ESPN Audio VP/Digital Marketing and Strategy Tom Ricks. "As baseball heads towards the playoffs, the NFL starts up and the election comes closer, we are focused on delivering our best for fans in a time like no other."
According to The Podtrac Podcast Category Audience Rankings, in August ESPN was home to 13 of the top 30 podcasts, including five of the top 10.
